GPA Overview

Since 1945, Georgia’s ports have served as magnets for international trade and investment, enriching the state’s economy to benefit all Georgians. The Georgia Ports Authority is dedicated to providing customers with the most efficient, productive port facilities in the nation, and to creating jobs and business opportunities to benefit more than 9.7 million Georgians. The GPA is committed to maintaining its competitive edge through development of leading-edge technology, marketing and operations to move cargo faster. And, the Authority is working hard to identify what must be done today to sustain growth, performance and security for tomorrow.

Georgia’s deepwater ports in Savannah and Brunswick, together with inland barge operations in Bainbridge and Columbus, are Georgia’s gateways to the world. They are the critical conduits through which raw materials and finished products flow to and from destinations around the globe.

As a state authority, a thirteen-member Board of Directors governs the activities of the GPA. The Board is appointed by the Governor, from the state at large, to serve four-year, staggered terms. A Chief Executive Officer, an experienced international transportation professional, implements policy directives, administrative duties and managerial controls.

As one of the state’s largest public employers, the GPA directly employs almost 1,100 trained logistics professionals. The GPA, however, is responsible for generating far more employment throughout the state. GPA operations, together with private sector, port-related operations, account for more than 369,000 jobs statewide, $84.1 billion dollars in revenue, and income exceeding $20.4 billion annually.

The Port of Savannah, home to the largest single-terminal container facility of its kind in North America, is comprised of two modern, deepwater terminals: Garden City Terminal and Ocean Terminal. Together, these facilities exemplify the GPA’s exacting standards of efficiency and productivity. Garden City Terminal is the fourth busiest container handling facilities in the United States, encompassing more than 1,200 acres and moving millions of tons of containerized cargo annually.

The Port of Brunswick is comprised of three GPA-owned deepwater terminals, two of which are directly operated by the GPA. The port’s well-earned reputation for productivity and efficiency is heightened by its position as one of the fastest growing auto and heavy machinery ports in North America. Today, more than 12 major auto manufacturers, supported by three auto processors, utilize the Colonel’s Island Terminal. The terminal is also home to the South Atlantic’s fastest growing bulk export / import operation. Agri-products from Georgia and the rich U.S. grain belt, as well as import products, flow smoothly across the Colonel’s Island docks.

Brunswick’s Mayor’s Point Terminal facilitates the export of Georgia’s valuable forest products, while Marine Port Terminals, operated by Logistec U.S.A., specializes in the handling of breakbulk and bulk commodities.

Georgia inland terminal operations, Port Bainbridge and Port Columbus, provide a strategic advantage for bulk commodities moving to and from the Southeastern United States.